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They’re calling it “the greenest neighbourhood in the world.” Built on an abandoned brownfield site, the 1.5 million square foot 2010 Vancouver Olympic athlete's village is the crown jewel in the City's sustainability plan. The list of green features at the eight-block site runs long: rainwater harvesting, green roofs, upgraded insulation, and interiors containing low-VOC......read more
How's this for bitter irony? Most forms of the color green, the chosen emblem of environmentalism since the 1960s, are not only not ecologically responsible but potentially poisonous. Writing in the Design section of the New York Times, Alice Rosthorn says that because the color green is so difficult to create, manufacturers have to use toxic chemicals to stabilize it. That means that......read more
"Permaculture" is quickly becoming something of a buzzword. But what exactly does it mean? Wikipedia defines permaculture as "an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies." It is a very broad topic, but essentially refers to living sustainably with our environment in every way imaginable. The......read more
National Geographic and Globescan teamed up for the third annual Consumer Greendex study, which evaluates the "greenness" of shoppers in various countries around the world. The study monitored 17,000 consumers in 17 countries, taking into account energy use, transportation, food, housing, and knowledge of environmental issues. The end result is a vaguely scientific index of sustainable......read more
If you needed any more evidence that "greening" has gone mainstream, here it is. This year's Emmy Award show, which takes place in L.A. this Sunday, will be a sustainable event, with eco-focused features that include a set built from recyclable materials, energy efficient lighting, rechargeable batteries, and alternative fuel/hybrid transportation. The show's crew will be......read more
Pier Pressure: From The World's Best Ever, British art prankster Banksy makes a sly comment on the BP oil spill with this “reconditioned dolphin ride with crude oil and a tuna net.” The Dirty Dozen: Mother Jones hips us to the 12 least sustainable seafoods from this year's Smart Seafood Guide, published by Food & Water Watch. The guide takes into account not only health and......read more
“I think you have to paint the stick orange." - Canadian designer Bruce Mau, asked whether a carrot or stick is the more effective way to change people's habits. The Massive Change author discussed sustainability and rebranding climate change on Need to Know. An ordinary car did something extraordinary in Europe last week, when a production model Volkswagen Passat set a world record......read more
The local food movement made a very large friend last week, when Wal-Mart announced a sustainable agriculture program that includes a plan to double the amount of locally grown produce sold at its stores by the end of 2015. The company says the goals will enable small- and medium-sized farm owners around the world to increase revenues, improve local economies and reduce their impact on the......read more
Georgia-Pacific, the nation's largest manufacturer of plywood, is making a move to green up its operations. After seven long years of discussions with environmental groups and consumers, the supplier of retail giants like Home Depot and Lowes has agreed to not buy timber from environmentally sensitive areas, and to discourage landowners from clearing hardwood forests. Because the pact is......read more
Oh snap, SHFT is popping up again this week, this time with the cool nerds at Wired. The space opens today, at 692 Broadway in NoHo. The SHFT selection looks a lot like this. The Philadelphia Eagles expect to save $60 million on energy costs by retrofitting their their stadium with wind turbines and solar panels. They should consider attaching turbines to Michael Vick's heels. This......read more
